The map
to the right locates Bella Coola on the Pacific coast of British
Columbia.

Qumquc. This picture shows the village of Qumquc at the location
of the present reserve. The picture is dated 1895. The village
as pictured here was washed away in a flood, probably before 1935.
It was on the south side of the Bella Coola River approximately
one mile upstream from the mouth of the river. The distinctive
peaked house belonged to the Clallaman family. The camera has
foreshortened distances and the village is a half mile from the
mountains behind it.

Long
house at Qumquc. This is a close
up of a house in the previous picture. It is to the left of the
Clallaman house. It has a typical Bella Coola totem pole in front
of it. The figure on top of the house is a Thunderbird. This photograph
and the four pictures following are also dated from the mid-1890's.

Downtown
Qumquc. This picture looks west,
with the house in the previous picture on the left. The Clallaman
house is the next one down to the left. Two additional longhouses
are visible beyond the Clallaman house, and another totem pole.

Clallaman
house. This is a picture ot
the Clallaman house with a group of Bella Coola Indians in front

Beyond
the Clallaman house. This house
is the one which was visible three houses beyond the Clallaman
house as we looked down the boardwalk to the west. In the panoramic
picture of Qumquc (4 pictures above), this house is visible on
the far right. Note that the bottom character on the totem pole
appears to have a large open mouth. This is a common way of designing
the entrance to a longhouse. A person entering is swallowed by
a totem figure. If you return to the homepage and examine the
photo there, paying attention to the church (Prebysterian) on
the reservation just to the right of the road, you will see that
there is a replica of a longhouse just to the right of the church.
This structure was erected in the late 1960's, and it has a totem
pole in its center, which also has the door shaped as the mouth
of the bottom figure of the pole.

Outskirts
of Qumquc. This house must have
been downstream at Qumquc, to the west of the Clallaman house.
Since access to the boardwalk is not so steep, it appears to be
further from the river.

Further
downstream. These houses must
be still further west down stream at Qumquc. Notice that the ground
in front is almost level now. The other houses required steps
carved from cedar trees to enable access.

More
recent times. This picture is
taken on the south side of the Bella Coola River looking upstream
towards the location of the houses in the previous pictures. Notice
the more modern dress and the European construction of houses.
Notice also the totem pole visible down the lane on the right.

Panorana. This picture is taken in 1873 from the top of the
mountain just south of Qumquc. The view is to the NW. The mouth
of the Bella Coola River is visible as it empties into saltwater
at North Bentinck Arm.

Looking
SW. This picture is take from
the north side of the Bella Coola River looking to the SW. The
bridge was washed away before Ross & I arrived in 1966. The
picture on the homepage, taken in 1972, shows the road going to
the river and stopping. That is the point at which the bridge
here would have taken a person across (from left to right) to
the north side.

Necleetsconnay. The official description of this picture from 1873
says it is oriented to the south.